Feeler moving mechanism



Feb. 12, 1935. A, A. GORDON- 1,991,089

FEELER MOVING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 1, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 1' i A.. A. GORDON 1,991,089

FEELER MOVING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 1. 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 jinx/$1 Feb, 12, 1935. N

FEELER MOVING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 1 1933'.

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' A. A. GORDON FEELER MOVING MECHANISM Feb. 12, 1935,

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 1, 1933 ism w 9 @d/ It is the general object Patented Feb. 12, 1935 UNIT D. STATES PATENT 1,991,0s9..\; 1

FEELERMOVING MEcH nIsM qAIbert AJGordon, Worcester, Mass. ,-assignor to; 1 Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, 1

Mass, a corporation ofMas sachusetts a Application August 1, iosa'seria N 633,144 4Claims. (o1.is9- -23"3);

This invention relates to automatic looms in whicha weft detector or feeler is associated with a set of vertically moving shuttle boxes at one side of the loom. 1 r

of invention topro vide improved pattern controlled means for mov-' ing the feeler vertically and forlocking the feelermoving means in a selected position after opera? tion thereof. i

In the preferred form, this feeler-moving-means is actuated from the dobby pattern chainthro ugh special indicating levers associated with the usual vibrator levers. i

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be herein! after described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of Ta loom embodying my improvement; i Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1 and show ing certain parts in section; c

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation,.partly in section, of a dobby and parts of the feeler moving mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view, looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional elevation, taken along the line 5 -5 in Fig.3; 1

Fig. 6 is an enlarged front elevationof certain feeler and drop box positioning mechanism, looking in the direction of the arrow 6 in Fig. 2; c

Fig. '7 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 6, witha part of the cover plate removed;

Fig. 8 is a detailsectional view, taken along the lines-8 in Fig. 6, and

Fig. 9 is. adetail sectional View, taken along the 1 line 99 in Fig. 7. I

Referring to Fig. 1, I have shown a 100m having the usual loom frame 10 and top girt 11, mag azine 12, drop boxeslB and 14 mounted at opposite ends of the lay 15, harnesses 16, and a dobby 17 by which themovements-of the drop boxes and harnesses are controlled- The dobby 1'7 is provided with the usual vibrator levers 18, vibrator gears 19 and upper and lower cylinder. gears 20 and. 21, also with theusual lock knife 22 and with the usual mechanism (not shown) for with-'- drawing the lock knife during the shifting of the vibratorlevers.

A feeler-moving lever 29 is mounted on the loom frame 10 at the detecting side of the loom and the rear end of the lever 29-is connected by a link 32 (Fig. 2), a short chain 33 (Fig. 1) and a link 34 to a bent lever 35 (Fig. 3) mounted on a pivot stud 36 in a fixed bracket 37. The upper end of the lever 35 is segmental in shape and is provided with a plurality of notches 38 to receive and, 18

a V-shapedlug 39 on a locking 1ever4O swingin about a fixed "pivot'41. lever 40 is ,yieldingly pressed downward by a spring 42.

Thelocking lever40 isconnected by a link 44 to the oifset out'er end 45 of a specialindicating lever 46 mounted on the cross. rod 47 which supports the usual vibrator levers 18.. The lever 46 has a contact plate 48 positioned for engagement by rolls 49 on a pattern chain50 mountedon the usual intermittently operated pjatterncylinder 53. A roll is provided underthe plate48 for each cross bar of. the chain 50, so that the lever 46 is raised and thelocking lever40 is lifted from the notched segment of the lever 35 at each ad-- vance movement of the cylinder 53 and pattern chain 50. v

A pair ofjvibratorlevtars .18 and 18 (Fig. 4). havetheirouter lends pivotally connected at 62 and 63 respectively to the opposite ends of ,a floating lever 64. ,A link'65 connects'anintermediate point. 66 'on the floating lever64 to astud 6'7 on the bent lever .35. ,,-'By raising or lowering one or both-of. the vibratorlevers 18 and lS four different positions of the bent lever 35 may be. determinedwith four corresponding vertical positions of thefeeler moving lever 29. Itwillbe noted. that the contact plate48 for the lever 46' which controls thelocking lever 40 is engaged by the..rolls.49 of the pattern chain somewhat earlier than the contact plates "70 of the vibrator levers 18. By. thus advancing. the

contact plate 48, the locking lever islifted prior to swinging movement of the bent lever35 occa-v sioned by the action of the vibrator levers 18? i The mechanism for moving and positioningthe drop boxes14 and forconnecting the feeler 25 to the feeler-moving levera29 are of the general type shown in the prior patent to;Nelson,.No. 1,674,871, issued June 26, 1928. The-details of the mechanism and connections .are shown in Figs-.- 6, '7 and 8 and will now be briefly described. The drop boxes .14 (Fig. 2'). are mounted on the usual lifter rod '75 which is vertically slidable in a bearing member '76 mounted. on the lower rock shaft '77, A lifting member '73 vertically positions the lifterrod- F and the drop boxes 14, and the member; '78 issh ifted vertically by the usual box shifting meohanisminotshown) I The lifting member '78 hasa forwardly projecting portion '79 to which is secured the lower end of a rack bar 80. The rack bar-.80 is slidable vertically inxguidewaysin a casing 81 (Fig. 7) fixed to the loom side 10. The teeth of the rack bar engage a pinion 82 rotatableon a stud 83 fixedin the casing 81. c i

The pinion 82 also engages the teeth of a sec.- ond rack bar 84, also slidable vertically in guideways in the casing 81.

A second pinion 85 is mounted on a stud 86 (Fig. 9) fixed in a plate 87 vertically slidable in guideways on the outside of the casing 81. A stud 86 (Fig. 8) is connected at one end to the plate 87 as at '87 and the other end is connected by a link 88 (Fig. 2) to a stud 89 adjustably secured in the forward end of the feeler-moving lever 29 previously described. i I I a A'third rack bar 90 (Fig. 7) is slidable in guideways in the casing 81 and is engaged by the teeth of the pinion 85 which is mounted on the slide plate 87. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 9 that the rack bar 84 is of greater width, so that it engages the teeth of both pinions 82 and 85, while the rack bar engages the pinion 82 only and the rack bar 90 engages the pinion only.

A bracket 91 is secured to the upper end of the rack bar and forms a'support for the weft detector or feeler 25.

While the arrangements of parts is somewhat different from that shown in the Nelson patent above identified, the method of operation is substantially the same as in the patent and is as follows:

It has been previously explained that on a box change the feeler-moving lever 29 will be operated earlier than the drop box lifting member '78. Or, in other words, the lifting member 78 will be at rest during the feeler-adjusting movement of the lever 29. i

The lever 29 is directly connected by the link 88 to the slide plate '87 and the slide 87 carries the pinion 85. Consequently, any swinging movement of the lever 29 will cause a corresponding vertical adjustment of. the pinion 85.

The pinion 85 on the slide plate 8'7 simultaneously engages the rack bars 84 and 90, as previously explained, and the pinion 82 fixed in the casing 81 simultaneously engages the rack bars 80 and 84. v

The rack bar 80 is connected to the lifting member 78 which remains fixed during movement of the lever 29. Consequently the rack bar 80 is held stationary and in turn holds the pinion 82 from rotation. Consequently the rack bar 84 is also stationary but the rack bar 90 is free to move.

,Under these conditions, vertical movement of the pinion 85 by the lever 29 will cause the pinion 85 to roll on the temporarily fixed rack bar 84 and will thus give the rack bar 90 and feeler 25 a vertical movement equal to twice, the vertical movement of the pinion 85. The feeler 25 is thus moved promptly to a position in vertical alignment with the drop box about to be placed in running position. v

, The lever 29 is then secured fromdisplacement by the rocking member 40 previously described, and consequently the pinion 85 remains in fixed vertical position during the ensuing box change. As the lifting memb'er '78 is thereafter moved vertically to shift the drop boxes, the rack bar 80 will be directly moved vertically, causing rotation of the pinion 82 mounted on the fixed pivot 83. Such rotation of the pinion 82 will cause a movement of the rack bar 84 in the opposite direction to that of the movement of the rack bar 80 but of equal extent. I

As the rack bar 84' engages both pinions 82 and 85, this movement of the rack bar 84 will cause the pinion 85 to rotate simultaneously with and in the same direction as the pinion 82. Consequently the rack bar 90 will be adjusted vertically in the'same direction as the rack bar 80 and to the same extent, thus keeping the feeler 25 aligned with the selected drop box during the vertical movement of the selected box to runningposition.

For a more complete description of the construction and operation of the feeler adjusting mechanism, reference is made to the Nelson patent above identified. I have thus provided improved means for initially positioning the weft detector or feeler, which positioning means is directly under the control of the dobbypatter'n chain, and I have also provided means for securely locking the feeler in adjusted relation to the drop boxes during the subsequent shifting of theboxes, the indicating lever 46 being locked in lowered position by the lock knife22 during such shifting. movement.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom, a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes, means to shift said boxes, a feeler, a dobby, a pair of dobby levers, a pattern chain for moving said levers, and actuating connections from said levers to said feeler through which said feeler is vertically adjusted with respect to the drop boxes by said dobby levers in accordance with the indications of said pattern chain, said actuating connections including apositioning lever having a notched segmental portion, a latch and means to move said latch into engagement with one of said notches to lock said lever from movement after selected adjustmentof said lever and feeler.

2. In a loom, a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes, means to shift said boxes, a. feeler, a dobby, a pair of dobby levers, a pattern chain for moving said levers, and actuating connections from said levers to said feeler through which said feeler is vertically adjusted with respect tothe drop boxes by said levers in accordance with the indications of said pattern chain and in advance of the corresponding movement of the drop boxes, said actuating connections including a positioning lever mounted on a fixed pivot, a-floating lever pivoted at its ends to the ends of said dobby levers,

and a link pivoted at its ends to said positioning boxes,means to shift said boxes, a feeler, a dobby,]

a pair of dobby levers, a pattern chain for moving said levers, actuating connections from said levers to said feeler through which said feeler is vertically adjusted with respect to the drop boxes by said levers in accordance with the indications of said pattern chain, and means in said actuating connections to lock said feeler in a selected position after adjustment of the feeler. 4

4. In a m, a plurality of shifting shuttle boxes, means to shift said boxes, a feeler, a dobby, a pair of dobby levers, a pattern chain for moving said levers, actuating connectionsfrom said levers to said feeler through which said feeler is vertically adjusted with respect to the drop boxes by said levers in accordance with the indications of said pattern chain, and means to lock said actuating connections in a selected-position after adjustment of said feeler, said locking means being controlled by an additional dobby lever.

' ALBERT A. GORDON. 

